


Free

by crystalfox



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: AU, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-04 02:48:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14010501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalfox/pseuds/crystalfox
Summary: Finn and Rey take a day trip.





	Free

When Finn has fantasised about freedom from the First Order, he hadn’t ever come close to imagining how wonderful freedom actually was. His life, his ideas, his choices, his time, his feelings - they were all his and _his_ only. Finally. Now that the First Order had been defeated, he could do whatever he wanted. And what he really wanted to do was go somewhere beautiful with Rey. He had no real idea about where exactly they should go so he downloaded a holo travel guide, full of suggestions about the most stunning places in the galaxy.

As he scrolled through the list, one caught his eye ‘Iycury Gardens' - _Also referred to as the Greenest Place In The Galaxy, spend a day wandering through these enourmous, sprawling gardens which have the largest collection of rare plants, flowers, and trees from across the galaxy. Make sure to take a ride on the giant lilypads!_

It sounded perfect, and it wouldn’t take too long to travel there. Keeping it a surprise from a very curious Rey, they managed to fly there within three hours. As they walked towards the entrance, he saw Rey’s eyes light up in excitement, and he grinned in anticipation, hoping this would live up to his expectations.

There was a small building with a neon sign that read ‘tickets’, and inside was a young woman leaning back on her chair, feet on the desk, scrolling through her comms device. When she didn’t notice them immediately, Finn tapped on the window, giving her a smile.

“Hi?”

She sat forward quickly, removing her feet from the desk, and shutting off her comms device.

“Oh. Hi. Sorry, didn’t think there’d be any customers today.”

“How come?”

“Not from here are you? Today is Vadrolla, it’s a huge festival - food, games, rides. It’s so much fun,” she said wistfully, “y’know if you actually get to go and don’t have to work. Anyway. Two tickets?”

“Yeah.”

“20 credits.”

They exchanged their money for two small tokens and a detailed map.

“Please do not eat, pick, or steal any of the plants. Please do not pick up, feed or eat any of the wild animals. Please do not swim, drink or dispose of any bodily fluids in the water. Please feel free to float on the lilypads but do not rip or break them. Have a great day.” She reeled off her speech in a monotone voice that sounded uncannily like a droid, and immediately went back to playing on her comms device.

“Uh, thanks.”

Exchanging amused glances, Finn and Rey leisurely ambled into the gardens. A small, narrow, dirt path surrounded by thick, leafy trees led them to a crossroads, with signs pointing in all directions. _Water Ocelot Forest. Northern Tortoise Woodland. The Misty Grotto. Alpine Sloth Thicket. Hypnotic Spruce Wilds. The Gleaming Caverns. Lotus Lagoon. Tundra Fog Grasslands. Glistening Meadow. Striped Dove Steppe. The Haunted Jungle. The Scarlet Tropics. Whispering Bluewood Grove. The Fabled Wilds. Soundless Waters. Lilypad Lake. The Perfumed Hinterland. The Hidden Gold Fjords. Onyx Cascades. Enchanted Timberland. Snow Cloud Woods._

“Wow…where do you want to go first?” Rey asked, a bright smile on her face.

Finn consulted the map, there were so many choices and _everything_ sounded interesting to him, “I definitely want to go to Lilypad Lake. We could take this route.” He ran his finger along the map. “Through the Hypnotic Spruce Wilds, past the Striped Dove Steppe, then through the Perfumed Hinterland and the Fabled Wilds to the Lake?”

“Sounds great.” Rey nodded eagerly.

Holding hands, they set off wandering down winding dirt paths, along ornate paved stone walkways, across rustic wooden bridges. For the first time, Finn was truly living in the moment - with nothing to worry about, he focused solely on the abundant sights, sounds, and smells. Flowers, trees, and plants in every single colour imaginable made for a truly beautiful spectacle. Although they made their way without speaking much, the gardens provided a charming soundtrack of birdsong, mixed with the gentle babbling of water and the light breeze rustling through the trees. Pleasing floral scents wafted through the air, adding to the enchanting ambience. It was so tranquil here, so far away and so different from everything Finn had ever known. 

They came to a huge, gnarled tree that looked like it might be incredibly old, and Rey let go of his hand.

“Oh. I really wanna climb that.”

Finn laughed as she began to clamber up the vast trunk. He felt so very carefree as he watched her, wondering if he should have a go too, it looked fun. Slowly, he followed her up, trying not to worry about falling, and they met on a strong branch, where they sat for awhile, swinging their legs back and forth and looking out at the view. Finn found that it wasn’t so bad being up that high and, from their vantage point, they could see just how huge the gardens were, stretching for miles and miles into the distance. It was clear they wouldn't be able to see everything today but Finn realised, with pleasure, that in his new, unrestricted situation he could come here anytime he wanted now. Perhaps, this would be his new favourite place. 

They soon made their way back down to the ground, and headed onwards, stopping to smell various flowers and touch the many different strange textures of the plants. However, their path was soon blocked by a group of small, black wildcats, each with three large, yellow eyes. They were stunning, with long furry tails that they wound around Finn and Rey’s legs as they sauntered past. As the cats rubbed up against them, they purred happily, and allowed Finn and Rey to stroke them. And as quickly as they had appeared, the cats were gone again. Finn watched them go, once he would have been envious of their independence, but not anymore, he could wander wherever he wanted now.

Finn checked his map again and noticed they were very close to the lake. He couldn’t wait to see it because it sounded so fascinating. They rounded a corner, and there, spread out in front of them, was an immense expanse of water. It was the largest lake Finn had ever seen, more beautiful than he had imagined. The water was a clear, bright turquoise and, on top of it, floated hundreds of massive emerald green lilypads. Looking at each other, they grinned in excitement and jogged towards the water’s edge where they unsteadily scrambled onto the lilypads, and pushed themselves away into the deeper water.

Soon, they had drifted away from the bank, and they lay on their backs, looking up at the blue sky with its fluffy white clouds. Finn had never felt this free in his life. There was nothing to worry about here, nothing to fear, nothing to cloud his mind. There was just freedom, pure and unlimited, and happiness, content and untroubled. He was truly relaxed and calm, both mentally and physically, allowing himself, for the first time, to place the trauma from his past aside to deal with at another time. He could just enjoy the beauty of the surroundings and the pleasant way he felt. It was a new, wonderful experience. It felt like the beginning of something. And, he supposed, it _was._ Things would be different now, his whole life had changed. He was free and freedom was wonderful. He reached for Rey’s hand and they let their hands dangle in the warm water. Finn thought that this was perfection.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, so I had a lot of fun with the fantasy name generator!
> 
> Feedback/constructive criticism/comments welcome!


End file.
